Episode 17: Disclosure of Harm

In this episode Dr Bruce MacLeod discusses the importance of having disclosure conversations with patients when they have experienced harm or near misses as a result of the care that they received in hospital and not from their underlying disease process. He outlines what is meant by disclosure of harm, and by a disclosure conversation. He then dispels some myths about the risks of being sued because of disclosure and describes the core components of a disclosure conversation. After discussing the reasons that many healthcare providers have a difficult time having disclosure conversations, he provides some good resources and where to ask for help if providers are in need of assistance with having a disclosure conversation.

After listening this podcast listeners will be able to:
1.  Recognize the importance of having disclosure conversations with patients who have experienced harm or near misses
2.  Describe the challenges that healthcare providers face when they need to have a disclosure conversation

Bruce MacLeod, MD
Bruce is a specialist in Emergency Medicine and for over a decade led the Calgary Health Region’s Critical Incident Review Committee. For several years he was the Medical Lead for Clinical Safety Evaluation, before being appointed to his current role with Alberta Health Services where he is the Medical Director for Patient Safety. He led the roll-out of disclosure training in the Calgary area and is a certified Master Disclosure trainer through the Institute for Healthcare Communication.

References
Kachalia, A., Kaufman, S.R., Boothman, R., Anderson S., Welch, k., Saint, S., Roger, M.A. (2010). Liability claims and costs before and after implementation of a medical error disclosure program. Annual Internal, 153(4), 213-21.
The Canadian Patient Safety Institute (CPSI) guidelines
The Canadian Medical Protective Association (CMPA) “Disclosure Roadmap”
Alberta policy and procedure for disclosure of harm